


A Boy and His Pets

by fishfingersandjellybabies



Category: Batman (Comics)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-12
Updated: 2019-05-12
Packaged: 2020-03-02 05:34:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,364
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18804757
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fishfingersandjellybabies/pseuds/fishfingersandjellybabies
Summary: Dick doesn’t know what the Year of Blood was.





	A Boy and His Pets

**Author's Note:**

> In the end, Dick goes with Damian to play Spaceball. Then, he and Bruce angst over what the know about the Year of Blood, and Dick develops and even deeper vengefulness against Talia. 
> 
> For @readingwritingraptures! Thank you so so much for donating! Their reward request was Goliath and all the pets, Dick, Damian and memories of the Year of Blood. Also hugs.

When Dick drove into the cave on his bike, he expected someone to be there. Bruce, typing solemnly away on the computer. Jason hiding in the medbay, cleaning up mysterious wounds himself. Tim tinkering with new gadget or two. Or even just Alfred, silently cleaning to keep himself from worrying over the lot of them too much.

But instead, he found Damian. Not weird in and of itself, he lived in the house above the cave after all. Practically lived in this dark hole too. What was weird, though, was the mob around him.

Because he wasn’t doing something that was normal for the cave. He wasn’t working out or studying or pouring over blueprints. He was…lying on a pile of hay. Batcow resting nearby, Alfred the cat sitting on her back, and Titus lying against her side.

And Damian was curled into the arms of a big, red bat-monster, like he was the creature’s teddy bear.

Dick couldn’t help but smile. Detour his original plan to go see his little brother, whom he felt he didn’t see enough anyway. As he moved closer, he saw that Damian was half-dozing, stroking absently at one of the large paws Goliath had across his lap.

It was Alfred who gave away his silent approach. The cat peeked open one yellow eye and gave a lazy meow in greeting. That stirred the cow, then the dog, then the boy.

Damian blinked a few times, sitting up slightly. Goliath gave a slight huff, tightening his grip ever so slightly on his favorite child. Damian relented immediately, dropping instantly back into his embrace.

“Grayson.” He hummed.

“Howdy, kiddo.” Dick grinned wider. “Busy day?”

Damian gave him a sleepy smile. “Clearly.”

And Dick loved that. Loved the days Damian could just…be. Be a kid. Be his age. Be _Damian_.

…A kid with a giant ass pet bat-monster-creature-thing.

You know, _normal_.

“Mind if I join you?” Dick asked.

“You didn’t come here on a case?” Damian questioned, sounding almost hopeful. His eyes darted down the Nightwing uniform.

“Yeah, but it’s not time sensitive. Just wanted a second opinion from Bruce on my idea for the next move. But I wouldn’t be able to make the move until next week anyway.” Dick shrugged. “So I’m all yours.”

Damian nodded, and Dick didn’t comment on the small, pleased smirk his brother seemed to suddenly be sporting. Just sat down next to Goliath, and reached out to scratch Titus behind the ears.

Goliath gave his own happy chuff, pushing his nose against Damian’s temple repeatedly. Damian tried to push him away with a gentle laugh.

“…How’d you meet Goliath again?” Dick asked absently. “I don’t think you ever told me.”

“…During the Year of Blood.” Damian said simply, though his tone was soft, almost apologetic.

“Year of Blood?” There was a feeling suddenly churning in Dick’s stomach at Damian’s voice. Was it Damian’s inflection? Was it that Damian sounded guilty? Was it because it might be one of those things Dick missed when he was ‘dead’? “What’s that?”

Damian shrugged, glanced up at Goliath. The bat gave him a sloppy, doglike grin, and nudged Damian’s head again, almost like in comfort.

“Have we…talked about it before?” Dick suggested.

“Probably not.” Damian sighed. “Father only knows because he ended up involved in the end. And Mother told him most.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah.” Damian hummed, stared down at Goliath’s paw. Purposeful avoidance of the potential to meet Dick’s eye. “Father was…less than thrilled. Which is why I never brought it up to him in the first place.”

“Why’d it upset him?” Dick pushed. His stomach continued to turn, almost like in anticipation.

“It was a training mission when I was younger.” _Oh_. “The name was just…to be dramatic.”

“ _How_ dramatic?”

Damian didn’t answer. And he still wouldn’t look at him.

“Damian?” Dick whispered. “How dramatic?”

“…I did a lot of things I’m not proud of on that mission, Grayson.” Damian whispered back, that apology back in his voice, but also a plea. To not talk about it, not bring up those memories again. “I did a lot of bad things. _Really_ bad things. Hurt a lot of people, and then some.”

Dick, of course, knew exactly what ‘and then some’ meant. It meant that Damian killed. Damian murdered. Damian took lives in bloody and painful ways.

It also meant Damian was hurt in ways no child should be. Mentally, physically, emotionally.

“…How’d you meet Goliath during the Year of Blood?” Dick tried, hoping to go to a lighter topic.

“His family was guarding something I was tasked to retrieve.” Damian said monotonously. He took hold of one of Goliath’s fingers and gave it a slight squeeze. “I killed them all. He was just a cub so I brought him back to the compound with me.”

…Ah.

Goliath cooed, and squeezed Damian tighter. Damian kept his eyes on the floor.

Dick watched him for a moment, a habit he’d developed, he realized, since Damian returned to them from the dead. Found himself staring at his little brother whenever there was a quiet moment, a lull in the ridiculousness of their lives. Found himself taking Damian in, memorizing every detail of his being as quick as he could. Because as the past had proved, his chance to do so could be lost just like that.

Damian didn’t move, didn’t emote. Just clung to Goliath’s paw, like it was his connection to sanity and stability. Like Goliath’s obvious forgiveness was the only thing keeping those nightmares from the Year of Blood at bay.

After a minute, Dick sniffed and rose to his knees. Damian looked up at him then, suspicion taking over his features as Dick crawled towards him.

As if reading his mind, Goliath gave a light gruff and opened one arm, just enough for Dick to enter the embrace. Once Dick was settled against his chest next to Damian, Goliath enveloped him as well, giving a happy almost-purr.

Dick smiled as Goliath relaxed, and carefully tugged Damian towards him. Wrapped a protective arm around his shoulders, and kissed his temple.

“I won’t ask you anymore about that mission.” Dick promised into his hair. “I just want you to know that it wasn’t your fault. Whatever you did, you were manipulated and forced.”

Damian didn’t say anything. Just slumped into Dick’s body.

“And that I love you anyway.” Dick whispered. “We all love you anyway. And nothing in your past is going to change that. _Ever_.”

Damian kept his head lowered. But his voice was soft, gentle, and so, so grateful. “Thank you.”

Dick kissed his temple again, and kept his head leaned on Damian’s. He’d be asking Bruce later about this Year of Blood, of course. Might even make a visit to Talia, if what Bruce told him was bad enough, to remind her just how much he hated her for what she did to this little boy.

But for now.

For now.

“I’m tired.” Dick declared. “And Goliath is surprisingly comfy. I think I’m going to take a nap.”

“Wait.” Damian tried to pull away, just a little. “I’m meeting Jon and Kathy in an hour to play spaceball.”

“Spaceball?”

“Baseball but more extreme.” Damian explained hurriedly. “I take one of Father’s more powerful grapples and shoot the baseball as far or high as I can. Whoever brings it back gets a point.”

“Ah.” Dick nodded. That was so freaking cute, oh my god. “Well, that might be a problem.”

“Why?”

“Because I plan on sleeping for longer than an hour.” Dick shrugged. “And I don’t plan on moving to let you go any time soon, so…”

“Grayson.” Damian scolded, looking up. Dick glanced down, and found himself memorizing again. The greenness of his jade eyes, the length of his eyelashes, how dark his eyebrows are.

“Damian.”

“You’re ridiculous.”

“Probably.” Dick grinned, and all but tucked Damian back into his side. He laughed out loud when Goliath squeezed them both. “But you love me anyway.”

And Dick’s heart burst, just a little, when Damian stopped struggling, relenting to affection, and looked up at him with a smile. “Yeah, for _some_ reason.”


End file.
